Mercury News
June 15, 2006

Suit seeks trail in Santa Clara County

Stanford to build paths as part of deal

By Becky Bartindale

The Committee for Green Foothills has filed suit against Stanford University and Santa Clara County in hopes of forcing construction of a second recreational trail in the county.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, is the latest turn in a long-running saga over a deal Stanford made to build two trails in exchange for adding 5 million square feet of housing and academic buildings.

“We think the suit is completely without merit,” said Debra L. Zumwalt, Stanford's general counsel. “We will defend it vigorously and expect to prevail.”

Exactly where the trails should be built has been a matter of dispute for several years. The Committee for Green Foothills has advocated for placing the two trails in Santa Clara County. The group's lawsuit challenges the county's decision to build one of two promised trails in San Mateo County, citing a lack of proper environmental review.

“You do not take a decision that has environmental consequences without doing an environmental review,” said Brian Schmidt, a legislative advocate for the organization.

“Stanford promised to build two trails to make up for the impacts from a massive expansion in campus development,” Schmidt said in a written statement. “Now they've pressured Santa Clara County to drop one trail requirement and simply expand an existing sidewalk along the heavy traffic of Alpine Road.”

The path for the San Mateo County trail was decided during negotiations between Stanford and the county. The trails were a condition of the university's general use permit. In December, county supervisors approved a plan for a trail along Page Mill Road, in Santa Clara County, which the Committee for Green Foothills supports, as well as the expansion of an asphalt trail along Alpine Road in San Mateo County.

The Alpine Road trail, which could cost up to $11.2 million, would require approval of San Mateo County and the town of Portola Valley, where part of the trail would be built.

The Page Mill Road trail received extensive environmental review, but the Alpine Road trail has received no environmental review, Schmidt said.

“It's an incredible waste of money to expand an existing sidewalk,” Schmidt said. He said the trail would create safety hazards for pedestrians and bicyclists from Alpine Road's heavy traffic, destroy habitat along San Francisquito Creek and further creek erosion.

During the negotiation process, the Committee for Green Foothills proposed several paths for a second trail in Santa Clara County, but those were rejected.

Stanford representative Larry Horton said that a public hearing on the Alpine Road trail was held recently in Ladera and that the trails committee in Portola Valley is studying the proposal.

Contact Becky Bartindale at bbartindale@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5459.

Page last updated September 13, 2010.